With news breaking that the UK electoral register has been the subject of a massive cyber attack, is it a source of relief or concern that I was not — or probably was not, or may not have been — personally targeted in those amendments to the electoral roll on Thursday, which seemed to associate …
When I think of all the struggles attempting to get web cameras working with various computers in the first decade of this millennium, it really is a wondrous thing that I can now remotely log into multiple cameras via my phone to instantly see what is happening elsewhere. I remember hours wasted attempting to install …
As the day wears on, and I feel the need to share mundane updates on my adventures recovering a relative’s data, I now ask myself: “Why must I run away?” I mean, why must I be cowed into silence once more, when all I do is ramble on about whatever seems important to me at …
Despite saying I wouldn’t, here I am wasting an afternoon of leave attempting yet again to recover a rogue external hard drive for my brother-in-law. I’ve created a pendrive instance of Slax Linux on a USB stick, plugged into an ancient laptop he’s borrowed from a friend. After much tinkering, I’ve finally identified the drive …
I thought we were doing things right. I admit that we’re on the restrictive — or over-protective — end of the parenting spectrum when it comes to the use of technology. We haven’t yet succumbed to the unceasing pressure to provide our children with smartphones and data contracts, although they do each have a computer …
The killer feature I was holding out for in the new Samsung Z Flip 5 was not a larger cover display, but support for the excellent DeX desktop mode. The latter might have convinced me to follow my wife in embracing that folding form factor. As it is, I suspect I will hold onto my …
No, I can’t wear these noise cancelling headphones. I feel like I’m swimming under water. No, it’s worse than that: I can hear all the sounds in my own head. Dreadful. Must get out.
Someone send a memo to the man at the top: most of your source code is freely available on GitHub. Your platform is built on open source. If you’re coding in the open, is it cheating if a competitor forks your code? Looks like your licence permits exactly that.
Smartphones are definitely rewiring our brains and fixing habits. Not only do I find myself pinching and zooming physical books when the text is too small, but after using my wife’s flip phone for a few minutes, I try to bend my own phone in half to close too.
The keyboard on the 2017 MacBook Pro really is utterly disgraceful. I am noticing it today as I’m away from my usual office setup with external keyboard, mouse and monitors. There’s no point saying to me, “It’s about time you upgraded that ancient thing.” No point because this computer will never get upgraded to anything …
One argument against the Samsung Z-Flip: no DeX mode. It’s surprising how useful this feature is, particularly if you have a nomadic lifestyle. Both my phone and my wife’s tablet can be connected to an external display, keyboard and mouse, to provide a functional desktop experience. If you’re already lugging around a work laptop, you …
It’s funny when your eyes set upon a car, and then you start seeing them everywhere. This car: no not some sporty coupé, but a diminutive hybrid SUV, the Toyota Yaris Cross. Appealing because it’s both fuel-efficient and affordable. Too small for a family of four, with two growing teenagers in the back? Possibly. A …
I confess that despite working with the web professionally, I struggle navigating parenting in this digital age. Where does the desire to safeguard our children become being overly protective? Where does being worried about the harms tip over into causing harm? I guess most people would say we are too restrictive, and in doing so …
Isn’t it annoying when you pinch and zoom on a piece of paper, and it doesn’t get any bigger?
The trouble with Microsoft is they cannot be trusted with their own products. Time and again they abandon them, hanging customers who have invested in (very) expensive hardware or a particular software ecosystem out to dry. As a bit of a nerd with a knack for breathing new life into old tech, I must admit …
